In this photo released by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Director General of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Admiral Mohd Amdan Kurish, left, checks a radar during a searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane off Tok Bali Beach in Kelantan, Malaysia, Sunday, March 9, 2014. Military radar indicates that the missing Boeing 777 jet may have turned back, Malaysia?s air force chief said Sunday as scores of ships and aircraft from across Asia resumed a hunt for the plane and i

According to the airline, the five never boarded the flight, but their baggage was removed.

Sightings of debris from a Vietnamese plane has now been discounted as evidence of a crash, as has an oil slick, which tests have shown was a type used by ships in the cargo-heavy sea.

The two men using the stolen passports are said to have booked flights onward to Europe, which means they did not need Chinese visas and avoided the additional scrutiny that comes from visa application, ABC news reported.